Radio Atlantic, IA – AM 1220

Cong. Steve King stops by the KJAN studios

April 29th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

Western Iowa Republican Congressman Steve King made a tour of the area Thursday, stopping at various media outlets to spread the word that despite redistricting in 2012 which will eliminate the 5th District, which King represents, he will continue to look out for the interests of western Iowans. Under redistricting, King is placed in Iowa’s new 4th district along with fellow Republican Congressman Tom Latham. King spoke about Christie Vilsack, who is expected to announce her Democratic bid for the new Fourth Congressional District. He says Mrs. Vilsack called him recently to make her intentions known.

He says she placed a “courtesy call” to him recently. King says it’s too early to tell whether there will be a Primary race for either the Democrats or Republicans, and that’s a hurdle that has to be crossed before the general election is brought into consideration. King says people know his voting record, and people know where he stands. He intends to make his views known up to and until, the November 2012 election.

On another topic, King says the recent disclosure by President Obama’s of his birth certificate, in an effort to silence those who claim he is not an American Citizen, is nothing new. He says records clearly prove Obama is a natural-born citizen, but one question remains.

He wants to know why the American people had to wait two and a-half years to see his birth certificate, and why he had to spend so much money to protect the information. He says it calls into question his ability to make important decisions.

Steve King spoke also about a budget plan proposed by Wisconsin Republican Representative Paul Ryan, which would reduce the deficit by $4.4-trillion over ten years, by repealing the Democrat’s health care bill and reform entitlements like Medicare and Medicaid. He says the budget is unlikely to meet approval of the Senate, and may face further cuts in the House.

He says House Republicans have promised each other when they began the appropriations process, there would be 12 or 13 bills, and the Ryan budget as a guideline to keep spending at $4.4-trillion or below. King says he wanted to see a stronger budget, but he voted for Ryan’s version because it offers some degree of control.

Kings says “some leftist organizations” have decided to fund “robo-calls” to people in his district, in an attempt to scare Senior Citizens about proposed Medicare and Medicaid reforms in Ryan’s budget. He says there’s a guarantee persons 55 and older will not be touched. There is a proposal to provide those below age 55 with the resources to buy their own resources, but no policy is set in concrete right now.

Kings says there has to be serious discussion about how to solve the entitlement issues because of the anticipated increase Medicare recipients over the next few years. He says the program cannot sustain that increase under the current system.